First thing I want to mention is that I believe headphone amplifiers are 99% snake oil. I own an hd600 and dt1990 both of which many people believe require/benefit from amplification which is false, they sound the same out of any average source as they do fancy amps. So why did I buy the liquid spark? Surprisingly the options for a good-looking audio knob are slim and word on the street is that this amp both looks and feels pretty good for the price. I think $109 is steep for a metal box with volume knob, but the aesthetics, chassis, and knob feel all beat everything else this cheap. The schiit magni, fiio k5 pro, and o2 all lose in these categories imo. The k5 chassis is very good, but the others just get trashed by the LS. The k5 has a larger knob but it has a bit of a stuck-in-jello feel while the liquid spark knob is very smooth and feels especially good to operate with a fingertip. The other budget amp knobs are all garbage in comparison. These glorified volume knobs should at least do that well, and the LS does.

Things no one mentions:
1. Yes, the LS is usable with sensitive gear. You can be very accurate with the knob
2. The finish on the front and back is lighter than the rest. It’s not an angle thing.
3. The knob will be slightly noticeably warm but it’s pleasant if anything.
4. Don’t be alarmed when you pick it up out of the box and it feels too light and cheap. All budget amps feel like that and are much better when they are on a desk. The LS is heavy enough to stay put with some cable movement.
5. The LED is super dim. Love it.
6. The texture has a great soft feel. It’s between a glossy and matte finish and barely shows fingerprints. The buttons and knob have the same nice textured finish.

Great little amp. I have been using it to drive the HD6XX, my daily driver.

Very good small amp but it doesn't make a big enough difference in most cases. My ear buds are my least 'loud' sound source and they become better with the 6X setting and volume knob all the way, but still not loud enough to really make my ears go pointed. My Roland headphones are helped but not enough. Guess I need better ear buds or a bigger amp.

Great-sounding discrete headphone amplifier. Highly recommended if you are looking for a budget amplifier for high-impedance headphones like HD650, HD600, DT1770, and so forth in order to avoid the smeared transients and muddy bass resulting from low-voltage headphone amplifiers (this applies only to high-impedance cans). I picked this up out of boredom just because it looks cool and gets rave and a friend was interested in it a while back, it sure doesn't touch my audio-gd C-2C in the slightest, but it is certainly going to be better for high-impedance cans than your typical cheap amplifier. Gotta love discrete sound. May not have the cleanest sound versus the competition near its price, but there's something quite "right" about its sound, and the depth is good. It does get kind of warm to the touch after a while of running, make sure to place it in a well-ventilated area. The built-in protection relays cause a small delay in sound output when the amp is starting up after just being turned on, this is pretty normal and a very welcome design detail.

Wow!!! I don’t believe this amp. It even sounds better than my CTH (Cavalli Tube Hybrid which runs $250. The Spark was only $80 on special.
Super pleased when I use it with the HiFi
Man HE4xx. Great synergy!
Only one question: on some songs I need full volume. Gain switch in or out. Is that normal to need full volume knob?
Thanks Monoprice!!!

I’ve had this Liquid Spark for a while now, and really don’t have anything bad to say about it. It sounds as good as you could possibly expect for a $100 range amp.

I took it out of the chassis one time to look at what kind of volume pot it has in it. The pot has a really good feel to it, for a mini. I don’t quite remember what it was now, maybe a Sanni, wasn’t an Alps mini. But, while I had it apart, I was quite amazed at the overall build quality. Very nice. Really nice all metal chassis too. The pcb is suspended in grooves on both inner walls of the cabinet.

So, great build quality, nice working switches and controls, two gain settings and really decent sound. What more could you ask for? Unless you got double to triple the money to spend, look no further.

provides fantastic sound reproduction

I was using a Fiio A3 amp at my workstation but decided to get a dedicated desktop amp. I've been focused on Chi-Fi for a couple years now. Exceptional packaging, well worth the price, exact features I need, fit & finish, sound quality, design, and a HIGH QUALITY power supply, this desktop amp is killer. Do not hesitate on this for the money.

Reviewing any component in a sound system is very subjective. I feel that the liquid spark, after the 100 hr. break in period, is working well for me. The quality of the source is important! A good CD will sound great... A bad CD, poor. My electronic chain of components [Levinson transport & DAC ending in Grado headphones] is compatible with this amp. I feel the break in period resulted in two outcomes. The amp. stabilized and my expectations adjusted to its sound. Both aspects are affected. I don't know which changes more. When I first started listening with this amp., the sound struck me as being a bit aggressive...esp. in lower brass [trombone], cymbals, and upper woodwind [picc.], but after about one month of listening these areas seem to have settled down to the point where, by keeping the volume at about 9;30, he sound is more natural, while still allowing for detail and subtle nuance. The unit is certainly worth its $100 price tag.

I've been using another headphone amp that was OK but I really wanted better sound. I wear earphones a lot at my computer because my wife works from home and I like my music loud! This headphone produces outstanding sound, so much better than my other one. Take my advice. get this and a good pair of headphones and you are all set!